Shinma
by JeNya
Summary: With a new demon loose, Watari and Tatsumi are chosen to deal with it. So far, they seem to be on the ball but suddenly plans begin to unravel as fast as they can watch. And what will happen when the monster recognizes Watari as the perfect victim? TxW
1. Kuro Makatsuku

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Shinma

By: Star2 Candy6

Yami no Matsuei belongs to Matsushita Yoko; I only borrow her characters to play with them.

If the readers of this story could _please_ review and tell me what they liked **and** what they didn't like, that will make my writing all the better. Thank you.

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Somewhere in Japan

During the day the town of Wakuria was the perfect model. The local schools won most of their competitions, either in academics or athletics. Children played in the parks, watched by smiling parents. When the firefighters held fund raisers they made the amount of money they needed, be it for burned heroes, new technology, or for those who just needed a place to stay for a while. It was in the dark of the night that the town changed its form. Cherished pets let out for a last bathroom run didn't make it, coming back in the morning to wait on the front steps of their former houses, split open from balls to ears, sitting in a pool of thick and sticky dark crimson. Birds had their feathers torn out, not enough to kill them through shock, but more than plenty to make sure they couldn't fly away when they were found by the half-starved cats that roamed the darkened streets. Even the mice and rats weren't safe, sacrificing their lives in spurts of blood so that the perpetrators could get a glimpse of one of the sharks that frequented the warm waters, the fin illuminated in the moon's silver. The town tried the usual precautions: No swimming in the ocean, keep your pets indoors, neighborhood patrols by lighted cars. Nobody knew who was doing these acts, and everybody was afraid that the people would 'graduate', deciding to perform on human beings next. While the police scanned the streets, the only place left untouched was the beach as nobody figured on people actually going there for something other than a dip. And only fools or idiots went swimming with the amount of sharks that had been spotted recently.

In a cave by a forgotten jetty, small candles flickered as a few tiny gusts of wind managed to make their way to the back, the shadows that they cast upon the walls painting a more sinister picture than the slogans of free love that were scrawled in neon spray paint. On the floor, mixing with the moss and loose dirt, was a interesting collection of salt, made out of shapes imposed over one another to form something that could never have a name. Five bodies moved around silently, lighting even more candles and scratching words by the white lines. They stopped for a second as the faint sounds of a police siren were heard, then began again as it faded and died. Behind them was a shelf, lopsided and half eaten by bugs, that was a home to several moldy books, gone the way of eternal dampness since they had been introduced to the sea air.

One of the bodies pulled out a knife, pausing for half a second before it slid the blade across its open hand, a dark line welling up and dripping onto the salt below. Another one took it and did the same, using the free flowing blood to trace over the lines, passing the blade so that all of them had cut their hands. They each stood at certain points, and between the crashing of the waves, each whispered a pre-memorized part of a name. In the confines of the salt and blood, a shadow arose from the candles, one that was not cast upon the walls. The five bodies stood still, the sudden sharp tang of urine filling the cave as a puddle appeared near a black shoe.

"Holy shit!" Another whispered, jaw agape. "I never thought that-" His voice fell silent, though the others could see that his throat was still trying to say something. They watched, shinning eyes seeing as his body shuddered, the darkness that had appeared in the cave dwindling, growing smaller and smaller, disappearing with a pop louder than the waves.

"Shinichi, are you okay?" Whispered one of the bodies, moving closer to the obviously shaking body. He reached out a hand, placing it upon the other boy's shoulder, letting out a small whimper as he noticed that the normally green eyes had been replaced by pitch black.

"What's the matter Keisuke? Going to pee your pants again?" Snickered one of the others, the eerie silence gone as the cave filled with laughter. "Man, I can't believe what a baby you are, pissing yourself over a shadow."

"Shut up Taro!" Keisuke blushed, though it was a bit hard to tell in the candle light. "Shin doesn't look too good, do you think that we should take him to the hospital?"

"Sure Keisuke, let's take him to the hospital. They'll understand why we're out so late and wearing black. They won't call the police to arrest us, suspicious that we're the ones killing all those poor, helpless little animals." Taro walked over to where Keisuke was, pushing him down hard enough that blood welled up from a scrape on his elbow.

"Hey, Shin, you in there?" He asked, snapping his fingers in front of Shinichi's face. The boy's eyes kept staring outwards, as if he couldn't see.

"Do you think that the shadow possessed him?"

"Fuck you Yuki, you've been watching too many American movies lately." Taro studied the boy, then laughed, kicking Keisuke as he walked away. "He's fine, just shocked. At least he didn't pee his pants like baby Kei-chan over here."

"Asshole." Came the muttered response from below. Taro pretended like he hadn't heard, making his way over to Yuki, and going right past her.

"And what's _your_ problem Hanako? You're being a bit too quiet."

"I didn't think that we would actually get in contact with a ghost." Said the girl in a soft voice, rubbing the toe of her sneaker on the ground. "You can't blame Keisuke and Shin for being a bit upset."

"I'm told you it would work." Sniffed Taro, putting his arm on Hanako's shoulder. "What's the matter, you guys turning chicken on me the moment that it turns a little scary? Are you guys part of my gang or babies?"

"I only joined to see if we could actually do it." Said Yuki, covertly shooting Taro the bird. "I never said anything about being part of your gang."

"Um…" began Keisuke, his eyes going wide.

"Shut up crybaby. Then what were you doing as you helped us kill those animals, eh Yuki? Just finding an outlet? Or were you trying to work up the courage to do that to your English teacher, Iwamoto-san?"

"Fuck you, you bastard!" She snapped, brown eyes filling with tears. "That asshole is going to get it, just wait and see." Her hands clenched into tight white fists at the mention of her teacher's name, the glittering tears spilling over onto her face.

"Guys…" tried Keisuke again, trying to get to his feet and falling down again. He gave up, scrambling backwards in an awkward looking crabwalk. Hanako looked over and gave a loud gasp, covering her mouth with her hands.

"If you're going to scream, swallow it." Warned Taro, making a fist that he shook at her. "We don't need the cops sniffing around here because somebody heard a girl cry."

"Um, Taro," said Yuki, taking a step back. "Instead of threatening her, you might be asking her why she's getting ready to scream." Her face went white as she began backpedaling faster, her back hitting the side of the cave with a soft sounding thud.

"What the hell is wrong with you guys!" Hissed Taro, turning to look behind him, finding himself face to face with Shinichi. "And _you_, get out of my way!"

The thin body of Shinichi stared ahead, the muscles in his arms straining as they lifted, snaking out to wrap around the neck of Taro.

"Shinichi!" Shouted Keisuke. "Stop it!"

Shinichi turned to look at the boy, his head giving a loud crack as it went one hundred and eighty degrees, uncannily resembling an owl. The nail beds around the fingernails tuned white as the hands began to give a hearty squeeze, Taro futility trying to pry them off of his neck. Hanako gave a loud scream as Yuki made a sprit toward the entrance of the cave, only to stop as darkness created a barrier, sealing off the only exit.

"We're trapped." She whispered as Taro turned red, crimson fading into a darker purple as the sounds emerging from Hanako's mouth wove themselves together as they echoed around the cave, becoming a sickening semblance of music.

"Shinichi!" Cried Keisuke, looking into his friend's face as Taro's legs twitched. One of the hands let go, clawing at the leader's face until rivers of blood ran down it and dark holes existed where brown eyes had been only minutes ago. The sound and smell of vomit permeated Keisuke's senses as he realized that Hanako had thrown up in the enclosed space, hugging her stomach as she rocked back and forth on her knees, her black hair half hiding her head. Yuki was watching, her face also white as Taro dropped to the ground with a loud thud, dead.

"Oh my God." Moaned Keisuke as Shinichi appeared next to Hanako, faster then human eyes could follow. He knelt beside her, almost like he was going to comfort her after the horrible, brutal murder that she had just seen. A bloody hand rested gently on her stomach, then pushed through, emerging from the other side holding entrails. She coughed up blood, the light in her eyes dying out as the boy began eating what he held, pulling more from the cavity in her body. Even though the girl was dead, still the sounds from her screams echoed around the cave, the pitch changing ever so slightly every few seconds, a never ending song of death. Now it was Yuki's turn to throw up, and as she did the head of Shinichi turned, soulless eyes locking onto the remaining girl.

"Now, I have a choice." Rumbled a deep voice, one that saturated both Yuki's and Keisuke's heads. "I need to keep one of you alive, for my own purposes, but the other one must die."

It looked at both of them, taking in Yuki's mouth opening and closing soundlessly and Keisuke's clenched fists.

"Why are you not scared of me boy? The others were smart enough to be, but most of what is in you is anger, not fear."

You're not Shinichi." Whispered Keisuke, his eyes focused onto the boy in front of him. "You're not Shinichi so get out of his body!"

The boy let out a chuckle, one that crawled along Keisuke's spine and sent goose bumps prickling on his skin.

"While I'm indeed not your Shinichi, I can not relinquish this body until one of you dies."

"Why?" Asked Yuki, her voice shaking and vomit running down her chin to drip onto her clothes. "Why are you killing us, when you should be thanking us for calling you."

"Little beings, you only nudged open a door that was shut long ago. Given a few more years, I would have come into this world on my own. I owe you no thanks." One arm suddenly shot out from his body to grab Keisuke by the throat, the other mirroring the move to catch Yuki.

"Both of you have the anger I need to feed on, the sadness to fuel it." He glanced at the two of them, then threw Keisuke into the cave wall, the sharp crack of his neck breaking a contrast to the thud of his head as it struck the floor.

"I have looked inside this being's mind and seen that you have always been there for him. In honor of his memories, and in acknowledgement of the anger that shone in your eyes, I have given you a quick and painless death." His eyes snapped to Yuki as the girl let in a sharp intake of breath.

"You, on the other hand, shall shelter my being and provide me with nourishment." Shinichi's hand let go, releasing Yuki's neck as his eyes turned back to their normal brown. As the body fell first to it's knees, then to it's side, Yuki began to laugh.

At the Ministry of Death, somewhere in Meifu

Tatsumi stopped at the lab door, several sheets of papers clutched in his hands. They had been written on in first black ink, then systematically run through with a thick red pen, the result being that it looked like someone had died on the paper. Pushing his glasses further up his nose, he knocked preciously three times on the wood in front of him. As soon as the last sound died away, the door blew outward, knocking the secretary into the hard wall behind him.

_ Not again!_

"Watari-san!" he shouted, dropping the papers and scrambling to his knees, coughing as red clouds of smoke poured from the room. A small section cleared to allow a tiny owl to emerge, her wings making a clear path in the smoke.

_ Why isn't 003 inside with Watari-san? She normally stays with him, even when he blows up the lab._

"Watari-san!" he cried out again, stepping into the clouds as the owl landed on the floor, preening her wings and looking pissed. Inside the lab it was very hot, sweat immediately beginning to form along Tatsumi's brow and neck. A tickle developed at the back of this throat, and he brought out his handkerchief to cover his mouth, not wishing to take in any more of whatever chemicals were in the air.

_ Why isn't he answering me? Is he injured? _Thought Tatsumi, one hand waving out in front of him to find where the desk was. _If I can just find his study area, I should remember the layout of the room. I'll check his potion counter first, to see if he's there._ His fingertips brushed a piece of wood that was a waist height, and without hesitation he turned right, following the edge until he left it behind. Tatsumi heard the sound of the ventilation shaft kicking in, a vibrating that gave him a small sense of relief.

_ Where are you, you infuriating scientist? I came here to talk about your expense reports, not to make my way to find your body in the midst of obnoxious smoke._

"Watar-" Tatsumi began to cough, his throat feeling as though somebody set fire to it and was now placing dry ice along the lining. He dropped to his knees, hunched over as he hacked his lungs to bits. The fit only lasted a minute or two, but felt like forever.

_ I've got to get to Watari-san! If this is how I'm feeling from the outside in,, I don't want to know what it's doing to him. We may heal fast, but it hurts just as much._ These were the desperate thoughts that were crossing through his mind, driving the man to continue forward on his hands and knees. It was when his head bumped into an open cabinet that his right hand felt something beneath it. Something that felt like a body. Warm. Soft. Tatsumi gripped it, pulling himself towards what he had found. Fanning frantically at the red air, he was able to see Watari-san's head on the floor, his glasses missing and his eyes closed.

_ Misson accomplished. One annoying, blonde haired, golden eyed, mad scientist found. _

He gripped the man's arms, then called upon the power of his shadows.

_ wrap around the door's out frame, then pull us out, carefully, missing any obstructions _he instructed them, wrapping his employee tight. The shadows obeyed, propelling them into the hallway, away from the hellacious ruby smoke. 003 was still there, preening her feathers as her master and Tatsumi came to a halt, inches from hitting the wall. She began to hoot anxiously as Tatsumi checked Watari's vital signs. After their first death as humans, Shinagami's had a couple of tricks to them to ward off a second demise, though it could, and occasionally, did happen.

"He'll be okay 003." Answered the secretary to the owl's question. "His healing factor has already kicked in, and it looks like he should be awake in a few minutes." He studied the man laid out before him, bruises beginning to appear on his face, cuts clotting. Watari-san's lab coat, normally a pristine white, was red in some places, pink everywhere else. Small sparkles caught the light and twinkled in his hair, broken glass from whatever beaker he had been experimenting in, and the orange scarf that held those blonde locks back was gone, along with his round glasses. 003 flapped over to nibble on Watari-san's nose, her claws scratching at his pale pink lips.

"Why is it, Watari-san," asked Tatsumi, smiling at his co-worker, "that every time I come over here to talk about the expense reports that you always manage to change the subject?"

"It's a gift." Came the forced response as Watari blinked, opening his eyes. "Somehow-cough- we've bonded on a-cough-deep level and I know when-cough-you're coming t visit me. That's when I-cough-blow up the lab-cough-on purpose. "

"So now we're going to sit in the hallway to discuss your recent…failures. Among other things."

Watari smiled briefly, 003 sitting in the palm of his hand, alternating between nibbling on his fingers and hooting softly. Tatsumi looked back into the wrecked laboratory, trying to catch a glimpse of how much he should add to the expense reports after his particular explosion.

"Well, since I can not currently update your account, we're going to have to talk about the other things." He grumbled, making a mental note to have the accounts added up tomorrow.

"But I didn't put anything in the coffee." Protested Watari, sliding his body so that he could brace his back on the wall behind him. 003 hopped after his fingers, giving the ring finger some loving attention with her sharp beak. "Err…this time." He felt obliged to add, feeling Tatsumi's glare more than really seeing the rimmed sapphire orbs staring at him.

"We'll also discuss the pink hair incident later. We've been sent on a new mission, and I was coming down here to give you the briefing."

"_We_?" Watari blurted out, his golden eyes widening in shock. "_You're_ my partner?" He winced as a cold silence fell in the corrider. If it was possible, a skating rink would have formed between the two men, complete with a cutely dressed snowman off to the side.

"Is there a problem with that, Watari-_san_?"

"Nope, none at all." Whispered the scientist. Images of broken down hotels, cold water showers and moldy food ran through his mind. _Why can't I ever be paired with Tsuzuki?! _His inner self wailed. _At least then all the extra food expenses would be blamed on his sweet tooth._

"At any rate," continued Tatsumi, thankfully unaware of what his partner was thinking of. "The town is in your district and so far it's like nothing we've seen before."

"What do you mean?" asked Watari. He tried to stand up but his wobbly legs sent him back to the cold stone tile. Tatsumi ignored that and handed him several papers thick with names, deaths and dates, keeping a few sheets for himself. As Watari took them, 003 flew away from his side, winging it back into the now cleared lab and toward her water dish. The scientist watched her out of the corner of his eye and made a small wish that the mist had not settled in the water.

"There were four teens killed in a cave near a beach, and then after that another teen, friends with those who had died, killed her English teacher, committing suicide directly afterwards."

"Why her English teacher? Why not someone closer to her, easier access to?"

Tatsumi let out a delicate cough, his fingers tugging at the second paper in Watari's hands.

"It turns out that the teacher was a nearby neighbor, thus explains the close access.. He had also been sexually abusing her as long as her mother had been sending her to him for lessons, which were started when she was ten. Iwamoto-san was found in his home with his penis bitten off and hanging in his mouth, strung from his neck and hanging from the ceiling."

"Ouch." Winced Watari. _I still think that's a horrible way to go, but I don't doubt that he deserved it, molesting a defenseless child._

"There's been nothing else yet, but these papers are full of background information on the town and the kids. We will go down there tomorrow, around lunch. I want us to be prepared, but I don't want anything else happening before we get there."

Tatsumi rose from the tile, facing the direction of his office.

"And don't worry Watari. If I can't find the time tomorrow morning to total up your current expenses, then I'll have someone else do it. Possibly one of the Gushoshin. That way you'll be informed of how much you owe me this month." He smiled at the scientist's slack jawed expression and made his way back to his small office, a shadow he left on the floor relaying the sight of Watari sticking his tongue out at Tatsumi's retreating back before he got to his feet and re-entered the lab.

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And, besides the reviews, if someone could tell me how to make indentations for my stories, I would be grateful. Thanks! 


	2. Manabitoru

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Shinma Chapter 2: Hunt for Information

Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei belongs to Matsushita Yoko; I only borrow her characters to play with them.

Author Note: If the readers of this story could _please_ review and tell me what they liked **and** what they didn't like, that will make my writing all the better. Thank you. (By the way, sorry for the long awaited up-date, I just moved to Japan and it took me from July until November until I got finally had my Internet up and running!)

Also, thank you who have reviewed, it helps.

_Italics – inner thoughts and dialogue_

_Underlined Italics – are for Tatsumi's communication with his shadows_

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In Wakuria

"Do you think you have enough with you Watari-san?" asked Tatsumi as he walked down the street, his partner trailing along after him, weighted down by a backpack and two pieces of luggage.

"Probably not." Frowned the scientist. He set the bags down, ticking off fingers. "Laptop, books, papers, pens, changes of clothing and a few other things. I still have this feeling that I am….Tatsumi! Are you even going to wait for me?!" The blonde grabbed his items and sprinted after the secretary, who had continued on his way. "You could have at least waited for me!" He huffed as he got closer. "And as I was saying, I still think that I am forgetting something important."

"Toothbrush?"_Kitchen sink? _ Tatsumi stopped in front of a small hotel, proclaiming itself to be the Matsumoto Inn. "We'll be staying here while we investigate the murder. It's only about 10 minutes to the girl's house, and another 20 to get to the beach where the others were found."

The two Shinigami stepped inside, Watari pausing to look around the nicely decorative lobby as Tatsumi strode purposefully up to the desk and began to talk in a low voice with the assistant there. Green carpet, pale off-white curtains and numerous lilies made the hotel look like a spring garden, and Watari found himself admiring the fact that the decorator had not gone overboard on the lilies, allowing them to seem as if they had sprung up from the from the floor naturally, like in a glen, instead of hand planted and in rows. Tatsumi's insistent voice cut through his thoughts, alerting him that the man was not too happy about something. Picking up his luggage again, he got close enough to hear the assistant apologizing.

"I truly am very sorry sir, but we have you down as needing a single room."

"And yet I have paid for a double." _I am not sleeping in the same bed as him! _ Tatsumi pushed the receipt toward the girl and it threatened to fall off the counter if it moved anymore.

"I see that you did, and all I can do is give you the single room that's in you name and refund the difference. Due to certain…happenings that have been taking place lately, we have no more spare rooms."

_Happenings…she must be talking about the murders._ Thought Watari. _The reporters and police are probably the ones taking up the other rooms, so this might have not been so much of an "accident".. _

"Then I want two singles." Growled Tatsumi, pushing his glasses farther up his nose.

She looked up from the room listing, and past him at Watari, smiling. "As I just told you, we have no other rooms. Besides, don't you and your wife want to sleep in the same place?"

"Wife!?" Tatsumi and Watari both looked at each other, one's amusement as easy to read as the others in shock.

"Ah, thank you, but I am not his wife." Grinned Watari as Tatsumi's mouth continued to open and close, but issued forth no sound. "I'm his business partner." _Not to mention male, though I have been trying to solve that problem. _Thought Watari.

"Oh!" The girl blushed, her hands nervously pushing her short hair out of her eyes. "I'm sorry…you just looked…" her voice trailed off as she began flipping through some of the papers on the desk. "I can put a cot in the room if you would like…?"

"Yes, please." Requested Tatsumi, clearing his throat. "Also, we would like two keys to the room as well."

"Sure thing." She turned around, missing the wink and kiss that Watari blew the other man, and then put the two keys down . "I'll make sure that the cot will be there this afternoon, before 5pm."

"Thank you." Watari and Tatsumi both said, bowing. They took their keys, making their way to the elevator.

_Why is it all the cute ones are gay and taken? _Thought the assistant, watching them go with a small sigh. _The blonde was really, really adorable, almost like golden cat, and his "business" partner wasn't too shabby looking either. _She stopped looking as the elevator doors closed and went about the task of getting a cot sent up to room 413. _Though I would see him more as a wolf just in from the wild than anything else…_

"She couldn't stop looking at you." Chuckled Watari as the doors closed, the 4th floor button flashing. "I think it was your masterful way of talking when she called me your wife."

"Not that you haven't been trying all these years." The elevator moved briefly and then announced that they were on the 4th floor. Tatsumi was kind enough to hold the doors open as his partner gathered his luggage.

"I didn't know that I've been trying to be your wife!" Now the scientist was laughing outright, enjoying the red flush that was working its way up the back of Tatsumi's neck.

"You…you ….know what I meant Watari-san.." The poor brunette stuttered the reply as his partner took his key and opened the door to their room. "You and that gender changing potion of yours. The one that you keep wrecking your lab, (_and my expense report)_, with."

"Whew! I'm so happy that I can finally drop all of this!" Watari, ignoring the needling poke about wrecking his lab and letting go of his luggage to bounce on to the bed. "So, which one of us gets the cot, you or me?"

"You. It will be like sleeping in your laboratory, something that you should be used to by now." _I know that you have an apartment…but do you even sleep in it?_

"What!? No way, I want the bed. Besides, compared to catnapping on your desk, the cot should feel like sleeping on clouds."

"Catnapping?" Tatsumi glared as Watari tried controlling his laughter.

"I came by last week, and you were snoring! You didn't even hear when I knocked on the door." _You actually looked peaceful, which was surprising. Sometimes, you can come across like you would glare at the world in your sleep as well._

"I do not snore."

"We'll find out tonight." Snorted Watari. _And I sort of hope that you do, then I can tape it and let Tsuzuki listen! And then, maybe I can get some new equipment for my lab, too. _

"Look, we'll worry about sleeping places tonight, since we really do not need to be worried about me snoring." Tatsumi waved a map around and Watari could see several red circles inked onto it. "I want to go to the home of Iwamoto Yuu and see if we can find anything that the police missed. After that, I also want to go to Kuwabara Yuki's home and do the same thing there. Hopefully, we will have time to visit the beach cave as well."

"I think that we should visit the cave after dark." Interjected Watari as Tatsumi headed toward the exit. "The time of death for those kids was after dark, so maybe this thing will go back there to hide out. It's a far-fetched possibility, but a possibility none the less."

"Good idea." Nodded Tatsumi. He let go of the door handle and dug around in his briefcase, gathering several fuoda and stuffing them into a pocket. He and Watari walked to the door, the scientist reaching it first, and once exiting the hotel, disappearing.

* * *

Iwamoto Yuu's House

"Not the house I would expect of a child molester." Commented Watari, as both he and Tatsumi stood in before it, in front of several signs warning people to stay away. A small garden was in the front yard, shielded from the road by a black iron gate. Two floors, it was narrow, squeezed in between two brand new 6 bedroom apartment complexes, but the paint on the outside was fresh and clean. As the police were still there, they both had not re-materialized.

"Tatsumi, you follow the police around. I'll go inside and check it out."

"Why?"

Watari rolled his eyes. "I know a few things to check for, and you have a better time remembering and taking notes. If you want, you can come and look afterwords too, but we should be more efficient this way."_Okay, I used the word efficient. Three, two, one…_

"Fair enough. Meet up at the big cherry tree over at the neighbor's house. You have 1 hour."

_I love that he is so predictable. Hisoka would have thought that I was trying to shield him from the emotional impact and Tsuzuki is not that helpful on informational gatherings, period. If I had known that Tatsumi would be this useful as a partner, I would have requested him decades ago._ Watari looked back at where his invisible partner was floating above the shoulder of a policeman, and let out an unheard chuckle.

_And here I thought it would all be cheap inns and bad food._

* * *

1 hour later, at the cherry tree

"Iwamoto Yuu. 32 years of age, blood type B. Cause of death was actually blood loss triggered by the removal of his genitals, not the noose that was around his neck and anchored to the top of the ceiling, around the fan. Lived alone, his wife divorced him years ago, then remarried. Parents died four years ago in a car accident in Nagoya while they were traveling. Has worked at Sei Mei, an all girls high school, for ten years after graduating college in the United States, getting a degree in English. He has had no former complaints registered against him, but several girls have stopped coming to his home English lessons, a few even going so far as to request transfers to other high schools, never naming him as the reason though. One of the girls had even disappeared, but that was blamed on her current boyfriend, who was part of the local Yakuza and not on her teacher."

Tatsumi looked up from the notes that he was reading from, flipping through the spiral papers to see if he had missed anything critical. "That is most of the basic information about Iwamoto. I have some more written down, but we can go through it together at a later time. The police do seem to think that he was involved with the missing girl though, after this incident. Did you learn anything in the house?"

Watari cocked his head and looked like he was thinking. "Well," he offered, "he was a horrible decorator. Nobody should have blue carpet, orange cabinets and black curtains." He smiled as a hiss came from between Tatsumi's teeth, blue eyes sparking.

"Actually, when I saw where he had been hung, I was amazed that a girl that young could overpower him and hang him in the noose herself, so I believe that there must have been a physical formation of the demon, a physical change in her abilities and / or body, or even a form of mental connection between the victim and the murderer, to get him to willingly climb into a noose. Despite the police thinking that the noose came before the neutering, the neutering was actually first and then he was somehow coaxed or forced into the noose. Nothing was hidden from view, so there was nothing meant for us, which means this is a normal case and one that, thank Enma, doesn't involve our dearest and closest friend, Doctor Muraki. Though that might be a simpler case if it was him, because then we would only have to find him. And capture him." _Although that is simpler said than done._

Tatsumi frowned, pushing his glasses further up his nose from where they had slipped down to. "I think that I will take needing information over knowing it's Muraki any day, thank you Watari-san. _If it was the doctor, then I would be less two Shinigami in dealing with the case. _ Let's go over to the girl's house, maybe we can find something over there that the police missed." The two Shinigami huddled around the map that Tatsumi pulled out, then disappeared.

* * *

Kuwabara Yuki's House

"I thought that Yuki was a boy's name?" asked Tatsumi as both he and Watrai entered the darkened house. The girl's mother was staying with nearby relatives and the police were more focused on Iwamoto's house, since that was where the crime had taken place, so the Shinigami dropped their invisibility when they teleported into the house.

"Today, it's more of a gender neutral name." Replied Watari, poking his head into the kitchen. "I've heard of both girls and boys using it. Also, I have a feeling that it first belonged to an older relative, and was given to this Yuki as a way of remembering a happier past."

"Eh?" Tatsumi walked to where Watari was and saw the small alter with a smiling boy's black and white picture, incense sticks smoldering in a nearby jar of sand and a wooden stick burned with the name Tanaka Yuki.

"I'm guessing that Tanaka was Kuwabara-san's original name, and this was probably her little brother."

"Do you also guess that he died at a young age? Or that Kuwabara-san has been here this morning to light the incense?" asked Tatsumi. _Damn it Watari, I am not stupid. I am also not Tsuzuki, who would have probably just commented on the boy's age at death, nor am I a newcomer to the Shinigami world and society as a whole, needing every little thing explained to me._

"Sorry Tatsumi." Watari apologized, not looking at the other man but being able to feel a hint of anger in the retort. "I'm a little too used to having Tsuzuki or even Bon being my partner." _And with those two, it's better to explain everything in case they missed it in the first place._

"Understood." Spoke Tatsumi, giving the younger man a brief smile. _And I know how much time do I waste explaining things to those two….though in Kurosaki's case, it's not a waste, but training._

The two of them finished exploring the first floor, finding the kitchen, the garage, a bathroom and a small living room. Their eyes met, and they began to move to the staircase. The first room on the floor was a computer room and study area, while the second one was clearly Yuki's room.

"I haven't seen this many stuffed animals and cute things since we visited Wakaba's apartment." Said Watari cheerfully, glancing around the room. "I think that the girl collected koalas!"

Tatsumi smirked. "You think?" he echoed, mentally counting the plushies. _Fifty-five, fifty-six…._ He stopped as Watari began to crawl under the western style bed.

"Looking for dust bunnies?"

"Looking for a diary, or even a journal." He came out from underneath with streaks of grey coating his golden hair and the back of his formerly white coat. "Nothing here, but maybe…ah ha!" Watari lifted a small red journal with a golden lock from underneath the pillow on the bed.

"Is there a key there as well?"

"I didn't feel one, and no teenager would keep the key right next to the thing that was locked…" Watari glanced at the journal he held in his hand. "I really need to see what's inside this thing, maybe she wrote about what they wanted to find in the cave."

"Give it to me then." Said Tatsumi, holding out his hands. Wartari looked a little baffled, but he shrugged and handed it over anyway. Concentrating, Tatsumi created a small sliver of a shadow, and slipped it into the lock, biting his tongue.

_It's kind of cute how the tip of his tongue shows when he's fully involved in something. He gets like this when the yearly expense reports are due too. Yeah, kind of…cute…_

Watari shook his head to dislodge that last thought at the same time Tatsumi drew a tiny click from the lock, causing the book to fall open.

"You know how to pick locks?!" _Mental note, buy combination locks for the stuff in my lab. Or better yet, get some voice locks._

"I lost the key to my office once and had to pick it….since then, I thought that it would be a waste of time not to develop a skill that I had already used once, and that would probably be useful once again."

"And when exactly did this happen?" asked Watari, still reeling a little from the fact that his boss, the don't-put-a-toe-out-of-line secretary of Meifu that the Count was probably scared of, could pick locks as well as any thief.

"Around the middle of February, about 2 years ago, if I remember correctly." Tatsumi peered at his partner, waving the diary around. "Does it matter, or did you not want to read this thing?"

"Uh, no, it doesn't matter." Choked out Watari, reaching for the book. _Middle of February…ah yes, that would be when I was going to spike the coffee with experiment #137…I had wondered where the powder had disappeared to! It was locked in my desk, for crying out loud! Mental note number 2: buy another type of lock for my desk and the lab door, not just the cabinets!_

"Although…" drawled Tatsumi, his index finger tapping against his glasses. "I have to wonder why the police didn't find the diary, if it was simply hidden under a pillow."

"Do you think it was planted after the police came and checked the house?"

"No…some of the people the police questioned said that she ran straight from the house and to a medium sized pond in the neighborhood park. Since a lot of families were there when she dove in from the cross bridge, shattering her head on the rocks below, the police were able to label the death as a suicide from the beginning. Straight after that, the police came to inform her mother of the death, then checked the girl's room for any indication of why she killed herself. The murder of Iwamoto-san came to light later. At any rate, no human planted it, since the mother was taken to the hospital as soon as the police came and the house was locked."

"So, you're saying that this diary was either hidden, or somehow escaped from being noticed when the room was searched?"

"The former sounds more likely than the latter."

_Dry would not be the word for that tone…I would say parched would be more appropriate. _

Downstairs, a scraping sound came from the locked door, and the low murmur of two voices caused the two Shinigami to turn invisible, Watari hiding the book in one of the many inside pockets he had sown into his lab coat.

"Do you think that she had a partner? Maybe an older, male friend that helped with subduing the teacher?" asked a female voice, turning on the lights in the house as she and her partner came inside.

"Maybe she got him drunk first, they have yet to finish the autopsy." commented the younger guy, taking off his shoes and slipping into the house guest slippers. "She could have made him thought it was a game, to pretend to hang himself. Then, when he wasn't looking, she pushed him off the top stairs. And somehow cut off his junk while doing it."

Watari motioned to Tatsumi, jerking his thumb at the window as he re-arranged the pillow back into its normal position. The older man nodded, and the two of them reappeared outside just at the two police officers came into the girl's room, continuing the conversation.

"Why don't we let them have the house now, and go visit the cave?" Suggested Watari, waving the diary around in the air. "We'll need some time to go through this tonight, since Yuki decided to write in code."

"Code? What happened to just having locks on journals?"

"Probably was a bit paranoid that her mother would open it and realize what she and her friends were up to. Or maybe even find out about Iwamoto-san."

"Is that why you write your notes in code?" questioned Tatsumi. "So that the rest of us can't figure out what you're up to or when you're planning on spiking the coffee?"

"No." Watari looked at his supervisor with wide, innocent eyes. _When did he figure out that I write in code and not scientist speak? _"However, if you only ask me, I will warn you when to stay clear of the break room. As long as you don't deprive me of my other test subjects."

The brunette snorted. "And what else would that entail? More funding for when things go wrong?"

"Nah. Just stop by every so often, say hey or bring your lunch." _It's a little lonely there sometimes, and at least I know that you won't drink anything you find on my desk._ "I promise to tell you when not to drink the office coffee if you do that."

_He wants me to stop by the lab, just to say hello? No more pink hair, boils or speaking foreign languages if I only spend my lunch break with him? _ "Okay," replied Tatsumi. "Agreed."

The two shook hands, then Tatsumi looked at his wristwatch and at the sun, sinking into the horizon and coloring the sky a light pinkish orange.

"It's almost 6pm right now, so if we can head to the cave now, we'll be there right before the sun completely sets. After that, we can go back to the hotel and begin to compile the information we've gathered today."

"Sounds good." Said Watari, flashing Tatsumi a thumbs up. "And by the way, you want to get some Italian for dinner, after our nice relaxing visit to the beach?"

* * *

At the Beach side Cave

"I really don't like salt water." Complained Watari, brushing some white sand off of his lab coat.

"Really?" Tatsumi was surprised. "I would have thought that someone like you would love the beach."

"Someone like me?" Watari turned to his companion, hands on his hips and a half smile on his lips. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?" _Seriously…someone like me what?_

"Just that…" Tatsumi's hands fluttered around, trying to add to the non-existent words. "It just seems like a place that you would enjoy." _You know, a place that happy people gather at and that romantic couples stroll down hand in hand. Besides, I can just see you here, blindfolded and thwacking a watermelon, laughing and having a great time with close friends.._

Watari gave the secretary a long look, but eventually shrugged, one of his hands tugging at a few loose stands of hair that waved in the wind.

"I really don't like the beach because I hate having to comb sand and salt out of my hair, and that just takes too long. Hurts, too. Also…" here the man hesitated, his golden eyes turning to search the horizon, losing themselves in the white caps that dotted the darkening sea. "I don't know, but sometimes it seems as if the ocean is the result of all the sadness and tears that have been in the world…and that it just wouldn't seem right to be happy in such a sad place as this."

Tatsumi's heartbeat sounded loud in his chest and the cry of the breaking waves had both men quiet for a few seconds.

"Anyway," grinned Watari, breaking himself away from the lure of the sea. "Weren't we here to check out the cave and not listen to me be such a sappy romantic?"

Tatsumi had to smile at this sentence. _I will be asking you more about this later my friend...it sounds like something a bit more than you being a hopeless romantic." _

"Well then, master scientist, shall I lead the way?"

"Only if you have the flashlight." Was the blonde's reply.

Tatsumi trained the flashlight onto the floor with a click and didn't quite hide a snicker at the gasp pf surprise from the other Shinigami.

"Where in the world were you hiding that?" asked Watari, walking behind his partner as they went forward into the semi-darkness.

"In my pocket." Replied the shadow master, his three right fingers twisting to create some shadow snakes.

_Please, go forth and check for any signs of demons. If you find any, let me know immediately._

"So…" drawled Watari, draping an arm over Tatsumi's shoulder. "Was that a flashlight in your pocket, or were you just happy to see me?" The blonde dropped to his knees, laughter echoing throughout the cave.

"Watari!" snapped Tatsumi, his tone damping the mirth of his friend, turning the flashlight on him. "If there is anything here, you're going to alert it to our presence." _This is something that I expected of Tsuzuki, not of you!_

"Sorry. I thought that your shadows would have told you if anything threatening was here?"

"They will. When they have some time to explore the entire cave!"

"Ah. My apologies, then." Watari straightened up, his shoes splashing into a puddle of water as they both began to walk again, this time in silence. Then, one of the snake shadows crawled across the floor to Tatsumi's foot, slithering over Watari on its way there and causing the scientist to give a small yelp.

_Report._

_The side cavern, after turning left at the split in the tunnel. There were killed there, and the blood still stains the rock. There is no evidence of anything being in the cave at this time, not the way that I went._

_Thank you. You are dismissed. _

"So, anything in here?" asked Watari, wishing he could hear the conversation between the master and his shadows. _Maybe I should make a potion that allows me to hear their conversations? Could be interesting to see if I can do it._

"Nothing to report the way that this one went. The other one is still out there though." Replied Tatsumi as the shadow dissipated. "However, if we turn left at the split in the tunnel, then the side cavern there is the one that the kids were killed in."

"Hey," started Watari, an idea suddenly forming in his mind as they continued down the tunnel. "Are the shadows the same every time or are they different?"

"What do you mean?" Little creases appeared above Tatsumi's eyebrows. "They are created from the same thing, but I can make them into different shapes for different purposes."

"But," continued Watari, "if you gave one a name, would it remember it's name the next time you created it? By the way, here's the split."

"Then we turn left. I'm not sure as I've never given my shadows a name."

"You should. I have to admit, now that I thought of it, I'm a little curious if the same sentience comes every time or if it follows your orders perfectly like a golem."

"Do you have a particular name in mind that you would like to try?" groaned Tatsumi. _How did I let him talk me into naming one of my shadows?_

"Kuroi."

"Kuroi?"

"Or, if you don't like that, then Kage."

The two of them stopped outside the cavern, and Tatsumi saw a splash of red on one of the rocks.

"Kuroi it is. When my second one comes back to me, I'll name it, and later I'll tell you what happens. Since that matter is settled, let's explore the cave."

"Chalk, black candles," muttered Watari, carefully stepping on the rocks, dirts and moss. "More salt than the sea should have put all the way back here, and hmm…what's this?" He plucked a book from where it had been wedged between a rock and the wall, idly flipping through the moldy, damp and wrinkled pages.

_Report._

_Master, there is nothing here, but there were many small places where things might have hidden, so I thought to search through all of them. _

_Very well._ Tatsumi hesitated, glancing at his partner to see his face buried in a book he had apparently just found. _Before you are dismissed, I am giving you the name…Kuroi. The next time you are summoned, remember it and answer to it._

_Yes master._

_Thank you._ _Kuroi._

The shadow melted into the ones that were cast by the flashlight as Tatsumi made his way over to Watari.

"Anything interesting?"

"Only that the police missed this AND the diary." Exclaimed Watari, shoving the book in the same pocket where the diary had been hidden. "This is giving more credit that something or someone is either hiding these things and trying to frustrate the police, or…maybe they are hiding them for us to find, so that we can help." He turned to the shadow master. "Is there any chance that you have a camera in your pocket, in addition to the flashlight? I would like to take some pictures of the symbols that have been written on the floor. The salt might have mostly been dissolved by the sea air, but we can still tell where it's been due to the color and texture variations. After that, I think we can call it a night." Watari sighed, shoving his hands into his pants pockets. "And Enma knows, I could use some Italian right now."

* * *

Matsumoto Inn, room #413, after an Italian dinner

"I need to figure out what this creature goes for, and to do that, I need access to the Internet. I should be able to work on that tomorrow, though, along with the diary. And the book of summoning."

"Goes for?" came Tatsumi's muffled voice came from the bathroom.

"Does it go for females? Teenagers? People looking for revenge? People sexually exploited? Does it just want to kill? Does it feed off of emotions?" Watari, sans glasses, sat cross legged on the bed, hands wrapped around his ankles, wearing a multi-colored snowflake patterned pajama set. "After we find that out, then we can narrow down the suspects. For example, a vampire goes for blood. This girl, Kuwabara Yuki, had no blood in her system and killed herself afterwords. Therefore, not a vampire. One monster crossed off the list."

"Yes, I can understand the vampire example, but what kind of creature purposefully kills its host?" Tatsumi emerged from the bathroom, holding his glasses and dressed in silky, dark blue pajamas. "The best and most efficient way would be to keep the host that you know can hold your spirit. After that, you only have to spend energy on escaping and not being caught. Having to find a new host would be tiring and costly."

"Do you only think about things in terms of money?" Teased Watari gently, shaking his finger at Tatsumi, grinning. "But if you look at nature, you can see the same form of parasitic relationships. As another example…hmm…"

"You can't think of one, can you?" Tatsumi let lose a brief smile, placing his glasses on the night stand. "Not always the all-knowing scientist, are you?"

Watari shook his head, as if to clear a daze, and stood up from his position on the bed. "Are you actually joking?" _Tatsumi? Joking? I thought he only did that with Tsuzuki! _He watched as the older man pulled down the covers to the bed and got in, immediately turning so that he slept on his stomach.

"Think what you wish, Watari-san." Came the muffled retort. The blonde gave a small snicker, then reached over and turned out the lights, heading in the direction of his cot.

"By the way, do I get the bed tomorrow night?"

"Shut up Watari."

A few minutes of silence passed, the clock ticking and glowing the in darkness.

"Hey! I finally remembered an example of an animalistic parasitic relationship! If a fish is attacked by a sea lamprey, only 1 in seven will survive the relationship, and an adult lamprey will destroy about 20 kilos or more of fish in its lifetime! The parasite will just move onto the next victim."

"Go to sleep Watari!"


	3. Tomodachi

Shinma Chapter 2: Hunt for Information

Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei belongs to Matsushita Yoko; I only borrow her characters to play with them.

Author Note: If the readers of this story could _please_ review and tell me what they liked **and** what they didn't like, that will make my writing all the better. Thank you. Yes, this chapter is a little shorter, but it ended at a natural breaking point and trust me, the next one will more than make up for it!

_Italics – inner thoughts and dialogue_

* * *

Room 413, Matsumoto Inn

* * *

Watari stared at the still sleeping Tatsumi in the dim computer light, laying there with the sheet wrapped around him like a mummy. Just like during the cat nap, he looked peaceful, a hint of a smile on his lips, a softer face without the wire glasses and smoldering eyes.

_I should probably take a picture._ Mused Watari. Earlier, when he had woken up with a start from bad dreams, he had been consumed with a need to do something, anything other than enter that nightmarish world again. Consulting the diary and cracking the code had been a worthwhile project, until he had looked at his partner on his way to the bathroom.

Office rumor had it going around that the secretary slept with one eye open, and that he always hid an ofuda beneath his pillow in case of an attack. Inching closer, Watari could see that both eyes were fully closed, but a small piece of paper was sticking out from under the green pillowcase.

"Do you need to stare so hard?"

Watari jumped back a bit, startled.

"Oh! Sorry Tatsumi, I didn't mean to wake you up. I was on my way to the bathroom."

"No you weren't." groaned the secretary, one arm snaking out from under the blanket and grabbing his cold glasses. He gave a slight hiss at the metal's chill, and then put them on his face, the scientist clearing in his view. "You were thinking about taking a picture, weren't you?" He gave a chuckle as the blonde shook his head in vigorous denial. "For amusement or blackmail purposes?"

"Ah…amusement. For myself." Admitted Watari, looking everywhere except at the bed, a faint flush on his cheeks..

_Can he read minds as well as control the shadows?_ The scientist's face went a little white at the thought. _Okay. . . scary idea. . . Tatsumi being able to read minds._

Tatsumi smirked at his friend, peeling his other arm from blanket entrapment and sitting up.

"So, it's normal then, for you to have pictures of sleeping, male, co-workers for your own…amusement?"

The last word rolled off his tongue and he had to let out a small chuckle. Watari, for his part, blushed a crimson red, moving his head so that his long hair could act like a curtain.

_I may not read minds my friend, but sometimes you can be an open book. And much more fun to tease than Tsuzuki or Hisoka. One can take a friendly barb as a deadly insult, and the other will always find some form of guilt to cling to from the smallest of words. If I had know that you were this much fun outside of your lab and away your exploding chemicals, I might have requested you as a partner sooner, rather than later. _

"Besides your own perverted amusement, was there something else that you were up to during the night?" asked Tatsumi, getting off of the bed and walking over to the two tea cups on the dresser, next to the television.

"I…" Watari stammered the word, his mind still reeling from the mental blows.

_Is this how he normally acts when away from his office? Spouting jokes and showing more emotions than usual? What happened to the out-for-blood, no jokes and that work-hard no-play attitude that he always has?_

"I . . . , I've been working on Yuki's diary, translating the coded entries." Watari moved to grab the notebook, and then traded it to Tatsumi for a cup of steaming green tea. "I didn't want to write in it, so I have some papers by the computer where I wrote the translations."

"You broke the code already?" Tatsumi grimmanced at the tea, the foreign looking letters still making no sense to him as he flipped through the small book.

_Coffee in the morning is certainly more pleasurable than this poor excuse for a tea._ He thought, brushing his way past his partner to look at the neatly written translations.

"And exactly how long have you been awake?" He asked, flapping over 10 pages of translations in the direction of the other man.

"Since about 3ish. Have a look at those while I go to the toilet." Putting actions to words, the blonde set down his cup and disappeared into the bathroom, leaving the brunette to pour over the papers, sipping tea.

* * *

_I don't know how to respond to him! _ Came Watari's frantic thought as he looked in the mirror. _Tsuzuki's jokes, take with a big gain of salt and think outside the box. Bon's jokes, use cultural references and look for puns. Tatsumi's jokes. . . since when does he joke with me!?!_

* * *

_So, he's been up for about 3 hours already. _Tatsumi's brain was divided, one half reading the notes and the other half thinking about the man currently in the bathroom. _Wonder why? We both fell asleep at the same time, and while I am normally an early riser, six is not really a great time. Seven, would be more like it, or even eight. So what's wrong with him? Why is he up this early?_

* * *

The sound of a toileting flushing alerted Tatsumi, and when Watari came out of the bathroom, he came under attack of a frowning secretary.

"What's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" asked Watari, not looking at his friend and reaching out for the tea.

"I mean, what drove you to work on this at 3 in the morning? Why now and not in another 3 or 4 hours? At a normal time?"

Watari's smiled seemed to struggle a little as he looked up, his eyes meeting Tatsumi's.

_I really have no intention of sharing my dreams with you Tatsumi. Friends we may be, but. . . I am not comfortable sharing that with you. Maybe with. . .no. I will share this burden with no one. My dreams will remain my own. _

"Why do you sleep with an ofuda under your pillow?" Came a counter question, the scientist searching blue eyes with his own. _And if you don't have to answer, then I don't have to._ Was the smug thought.

_And will you answer me if I explain that? _Tatsumi's eyes narrowed, mimicked quickly by golden counterparts.

"Very well. I'll tell you why I have an ofuda under my pillow, and another in my breast pocket."

Watari's eyes widened and his mouth gaped a bit as the other man turned to the window, arms folding over his chest.

"Do you remember when Tsuzuki had that demon in him, Saagntanasu, and we had to announce a state of emergency in Meifu?" He asked quietly, facing the window's curtain.

"Yes."

"Well, if you look into the history of Shinigami, you would see that it's happened before, for various reasons, but mostly to other departments. When demons, vengeful spirits, and other monsters find a way to Meifu, depending on the power levels, a state of emergency can be, and usually is, declared. During one of these times, there was a vengeful spirit that had managed to overcome a Shinigami, locking itself to their soul after their partner had been emotionally blasted into a quivering heap. Much of what might possibly happen to Kurosaki, if his barriers weaken or fail while under attack."

Tatsumi let out a sigh, his mind remembering the two luckless Shinigami from his past.

"I dare say that's why Tsuzuki worries about him so much. Anyhow, the spirit, camouflaged in the Shinigami's soul, came back, helped us put the partner in the hospital, and then, at night, began to quietly pick off Shinigami that worked and slept nearby. Our department is not very close by the main soul processing department, but after the number of Shinigami that. . . I picked up the habit during that time, and I've kept it ever since."

Tatsumi turned once more, setting his empty tea cup on the small table and looking at Watari. The scientist, in turn, was looking anywhere but at him. The green bed covers, the television, the pale green window curtain.

"That's why I sill sleep with ofudas. I want them next to me so if there is a problem, I can attack immediately. If you really wish, you may ask Tsuzuki, or the Gushoshin brothers more about that incident. They were also there at the time."

Tatsumi took a step closer, then another step, trying to catch his partner's eyes. "Look, I know that we might not know each other that well, since I usually see you when the lab explodes, or when you come begging for more funding. If you have any questions, you are welcome to ask. . . within reason, of course."

_I have to wonder about you Watari . . .you consider all of us to be your friends, and we consider you to be ours . . . but is it only a shallow friendship to you? I know that Kurosaki has cried on your shoulder many times, especially when he thinks that the knowledge would be too heavy to burden Tsuzuki with. Tsuzuki does the same thing . . . he talks to you when he thinks it will hurt his partner. And Enma knows that I have used you, letting comments drop and waiting for your curiosity to ask me about them, helping me with my problems as well. Do any of us help you with yours? Would you allow us to?_

"I do have a question, actually." Tatsumi almost had to stop breathing to hear Watari's voice, it was that soft.

"Um. . . I want to know how you knew that Yuki was being raped by her teacher." continued Watari, focusing on grabbing the diary and the translation notes. "I couldn't find any in here that mentioned it, only some small things about the cave and the group that she was hanging out with. Where did you get the information from? How did you know?"

Tatsumi sighed, gently pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

_All right Watari. I will let it slide . . . this time. Next time, I would appreciate it if you would open up a little more to me. I am your partner, after all. A friend as well, supposedly._

"When I was waiting for you, one of the police men showed his co-workers some pictures that he had found in his room. The most recent pictures where of Yuki, naked and bound with duct tape. The older ones however, were of several different girls, but all semi-dressed in the same uniform as Sei Mei, the school that he worked at. They had apparently found the pictures earlier when they were looking for clues, and when we had showed up, that policeman was just coming back from the school. Since the high schools are picked by the students, transfers are rare, so he was able to identify the pictures of the girls with their school photos from the office staff. That's why I knew about Yuki, and about the other girls."

"Thanks. I was wondering about that, since I found nothing in the diary. Look, why don't you go on down to breakfast." Watari held out an envelope to Tatsumi. "I left your ticket in here. I'll join you around 8ish, but I need to go back to the library in Meifu to collect some books. Okay?"

Tatsumi took the envelope from his hands, nodding, and without another word, Watari vanished.

* * *

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Watari's Lab in Meifu

* * *

_Why am I so upset? _Seethed Watari, materializing in front of his bookcase. _Why do I feel like my heart is beating too fast, as if I'm in danger from him? Tatsumi of all people! While he might be scary, I know he would never deliberately hurt one of his friends. . . _

The scientist bent down, fingering a heavy book with a dirty white cover, the spine cracked and the pages yellow from age. Worldly Demons was the title, and he gently set it on the floor, his eyes never leaving the shelf as they roamed over the other names.

_Could it be a combination? _He thought, sneezing from the dust he was beginning to stir. _I'm excited and nervous about being on a case, away from my lab and my experiments? Is that possible? Enough to make my heart pound and my stomach tense up? Maybe it breaks down into separate parts; ¼ dream demons, ¼ Tatsumi weirdness and the remaining ½ new, unknown case nerves?_

Another book joined the first, this one being Japanese Spirits, Ghosts and Demons.

_If I treat it like an experiment, I might be able to learn some new things about Tatsumi. _Part of his mind said, the sneaky thought sparking his curiosity. _And he has a point too, the only time you actually see each other is during explosions, funding begging, or in the break room, talking about a new case. As a scientist, I know it's wrong to believe that all of my data about a person can come from only three instances . . . so why am I acting as if Tatsumi has grown five new heads, each of them speaking a foreign language? _

"Because you've never looked for anything else." Watari said to the silent lab, a third book clutched in his hands, Gods, Goddesses and Lesser Beings.

_I know Tsuzuki to be more than a bumbling sugar-rush induced idiot. . . Bon is more than an angst driven, emotionally controlling kid. . . but why have I never thought about Tatsumi as being more than a grouchy, too-serious secretary of Meifu? Is he not human too?_

At that thought, a smile finally broke out on Watari's face.

"Actually, no, he's not human." He chuckled out loud, leaving the bookshelf and now looking for his knapsack. "None of us are, really."

_If I can just see this as another experiement . . . looking at what I can gain instead of what I can lose. . . _

Watari gathered the three books and stuffed them into the knapsack, looking at his watch.

"I spent over an hour talking with myself? I still need to get to the library!"

* * *

Matsumoto Inn's Breakfast Room

* * *

Tatsumi glared at his watch again, his stomach grumbling in shared displeasure.

"You're late and they close in twenty minutes." He muttered as Watari pulled out the chair across from him and sat down, slinging his knapsack onto the chair's edge.

"Sorry about that!" The blonde man smiled, his mouth watering at the smell of food. "One of the books was really, really hard to find, so it took me and the twins a while to get it. Let's get some food and we'll talk about that later on in the room."

The secretary stood up, walking over to the all-you-can-eat table, followed by his partner. Taking a plate, a knife, a fork and a pair of chopsticks, he looked over the well-picked dishes, scraping some gushy scrambled eggs onto his plate, adding two slices of bread, a small container of strawberry jam, accompanied by a half-filled bowl of rice and two glasses of orange juice.

"Is that all you eat in the morning?" exclaimed Watari, setting his tray down on the table. Tatsumi eyed his plate, taking in the heap of scrambled eggs, sausage links, fish, orange slices, pickled vegetables and hash browns. Added to this was a large bowl of rice, a small one of cereal, another small one of miso soup and three glasses; one milk, one orange juice and the other coffee.

"You eat all of that?" asked Tatsumu pointedly, picking up his fork and shoving it into the mushy eggs. They fell apart from the first touch, oozing white and pale yellow liquid.

_Hmm . . . he's feeling better. Good. It's too weird when he doesn't smile. And these are not scrambled eggs. . . they are . . . I'm not sure what they are, but are they even edible?_

"It's breakfast," He answered, biting into his sausage links. "the most important," Some eggs were quickly shoveled in. "meal of the day." A few bites of rice, then onto the fish. Watari looked up, somewhat amused that a faint green tinge had appeared on his partner's face.

"So, why don't you eat a lot during breakfast?" The secretary looked up at the question, fingering his toast. "You told me before that I could ask questions." Reminded the scientist, slurping his miso bowl.

"Very well." Tatsumi shrugged, his fork scrambling the eggs even further. "My mind may be awake in the morning, but my stomach usually stays asleep until lunch time. If I eat too much now, then I'll get nauseous." He took a bite out his toast, washing down the dry taste with orange juice, since he had forgotten to put the jam on it.

"My turn for a question now. Do you eat that much because you forget to eat during the day? Or because you're really hungry?"

"Hmm, good question." Allowed Watari, turning his attention back to his rice. "A little bit of both, I guess. I don't chose to forget to eat, I just do. And I'm ravenous in the morning."

"Um. . . excuse me." Interrupted a female voice. Both Shinigami turned to see the same girl from the check in counter yesterday, now wearing an apron over her blouse and skirt.

"Sorry to hurry you, but the breakfast room closes in 5 minutes." She said, bowing. Looking up, she smiled at the two men. "Also, I wanted to tell you that we might have a double room opening up tomorrow, so if you want I can save it for you. . ."

"Tatsumi Seiichiro." Supplied the blue eyed man, wiping his mouth with a napkin and rising from the table. He gave a short bow as slurps, gulps and chops could be heard from Watari's side of the table.

"That would be great if you could do that . . ."

"Nakamura Chihiro." She answered. "And not a problem at all, since it was our fault that there was a mix up in the first place." Looking over at Watari, she giggled, holding her hand over her mouth. Tatsumi too, let out a grin as the blonde glanced up, golden eyes wide open in innocence, ketchup and eggs smeared on the side of his face and a forkful of hash browns about halfway up from the table.

"Thank you again, Nakamura-san."

"Oh, like I said, not a problem. And please, feel free to call me Chihiro since you'll be staying here a few days." She and Tatusmi shook hands as Watari finished his plate, practically licking it clean and grabbed his knapsack. As Chihiro turned to leave, she heard the brunette telling his co-worker that he needed to clean his face up before they headed back to the room.

"So, wait a second! if you're going to be researching all day, what am I going to be doing?" snapped Tatsumi as he followed Watari to the elevator, ignoring the crowd of people also exiting the breakfast room.

_I know I'm a better fighter than a researcher, but I've got to be able to do something until we know what we're fighting! I'm not useless!_

"I've got a few jobs for you." Answered Watari mysteriously, smiling. "I'll tell you more about it when we get in the room."

_Okay, now you're acting a little more like the Tatsumi I know. Grumpy and frustrated at not being able to do some action for the moment._


	4. Muzukashi

* * *

Shinma Chapter 4: Hardness

Disclaimer: Yami no Matsuei belongs to Matsushita Yoko; I only borrow her characters to play with them.

Author Note: If the readers of this story could _please_ review and tell me what they liked **and** what they didn't like, that will make my writing all the better. Thank you.

I really apologize for the long wait! Sorry!!

(hands out cookies to all the readers)

_Italics – inner thoughts of dialogue_

_Underlined Italics – Tatsumi's communication with his shadows_

* * *

Matsumoto Inn, room 413

* * *

They entered their room once more, locking the door with a click after making sure that the Do Not Disturb sign was hanging from beneath the peephole.

'Your job,' continued Watari cheerfully, settling his knapsack on the dark green bedspread, 'will be a hard one.'

'And here I thought that you said you were going to be doing the research.' Replied Tatsumi, pulling a small chair away from the desk and sitting in it.

'I will be.' Grinned the scientist. 'You are going to be asking the Count for access to the souls of two of the kids that died.'

'What?!' The chair thumped as it fell to the floor. "You've got to be joking! The last time anyone was allowed to talk to one of the dead was. . . even I can't remember!"

'You're the only one that the Count would trust to do that, and that I can trust to actually get the information we need.' Pointed out Watari, un-malleable gold boring into surprised sapphire. 'Besides, if Tsuzuki asked him, he would be molested immediately and any thoughts of getting information would be replaced by inane escape plans. Then you would have to go there anyway to rescue him."

"Kurosaki, then?"

"Bon would use the opportunity to find out more about Muraki, although it might not be a bad idea if we knew more about his childhood and how he has become the upstanding fine doctor that he is today.

"You?"

"And if it was me, the count would think that I'm using this case as an excuse to gather information for a new experiment. Not that I would be doing such a thing, mind you, but it would create problems and delays.' _Besides, hacking the information is so much easier than asking permission._

Tatsumi's mouth was still hanging slightly open.

'Don't you see?' Watari protested, his finger poking Tatsumi in the chest. 'It has got to be you!' _Thankfully, it __is__ necessary and it will keep you occupied while I'm researching._

'Don't poke me again.' Whispered Tatsumi, stepping away from the hand. Behind his eyes ran ghostly images of memories too hurtful to keep close, but still too raw to be dealt with. Even after so many years. . .

'Why. . . ?'

'I'll do it.' Snapped the secretary, breaking into his partner's question. 'You said only two names, there were five kids that started this mess.' He pushed his glasses farther up, so that that they were pressing into the bridge of his nose. _I'm not answering that question. And Enma help you if you decide that you'll experiment and poke me again to see what happens._

'I need you to talk to the souls of Kuwabara Yuki and Suzuki Keisuke. If they felt or saw anything, that information could help us greatly.' _And why did my poking bother you Tatsumi? I wouldn't mind getting that information either._

'Kuwabara Yuki and Suzuki Keisuke. The girl I can understand, but why that boy? Asked Tatsumi, trying to gain some control over the situation, stepping over to the ghastly tea and making himself another cup. Something to do. . . anything to do.

'Do you mean to tell me you never read the case files?' smirked Watari, his eyes twinkling. 'You, mister do-everything-by-the-rules. . . ?'

'I read them. In fact, I was also the one who created and printed the notes for you.'

"Then you remember how the kids in the cave died, right?" Watari started talking faster, ticking off the dead on his fingers.

"There was Yama Ryutaro, who was the second to die. Choked, with his eyes ripped out of his head. Kamura Hanako, who had something rip into her stomach, removing some of her intestines, which were later found in Sawagama Shinichi's stomach, though it was thought that he was killed first, given the way that his neck was rotated and snapped. We know that Kuwabara Yuki was taken over by whatever this thing is, so that only leaves the 5th teen, Suzuki Keisuke, who, by all appearances, died very cleanly after being thrown into the cave wall. I do not think that was a coincidence and I wanted you to check out the possibility that he had communicated with it."

"Then why not check Sawagama as well, if he only died of a snapped neck." _And if you can remember all that from reading the files once, why is it that you can never remember the expense report meetings I schedule for you?_

"Because he had bits of intestines in his stomach. I would file that as a cruel punishment, wouldn't you? Suzuki Keisuke is the only one who had a 'clean' death."

"And if I go to the Count, you will be researching the entire time…?" asked Tatsumi, noticing that Watari had suddenly become very interested in the cushy green chairs. _And bingo…the real reason that you wanted me to go instead of you._

"What completely stupid and idiotic thing will you be doing instead?" sighed Tatsumi, folding his arms and glaring at the back of the scientist.

"I will really be researching, if you're interested in knowing." _Come on Tatsumi, take the bait…_

"What I'm interested in knowing, Watari-**san**, is how dangerous the researching you'll be doing is. Which, considering that you haven't faced me in the past three minutes, seems like it is high up on the Darwin scale."

"You read The Darwin Awards?"

"Yes, and you're avoiding the question."

"We've already died, so I can't win a Darwin award for killing myself in irony."

"I'll start up the Shinigami Darwin Awards and have you the first place winner." Hissed Tatsumi, his fists clenched. 'Satisfied? Now, what are you planning?' 

_You infuriating scientist!_

Watari mumbled something under his breath.

"Say it again,' commanded Tatsumi. 'And at a normal decibel for hearing, please."

"I said that I was going to try the summoning spell the teens were doing, okay!? After I figured out which one it was." He added. 

_Part A in place. Now, hopefully he'll react like I thought he would._

Several seconds passed by, then Tatsumi decided that he could talk in a reasonably calm voice. 

_Maybe._ _Right now, I would take 10 Tsuzukis as partners instead of one Watari. What the fucking hell is he thinking? Is __this__ how he died, by __not__ thinking?_

"What, in the name of Enma and in Meifu, do you think that is going to accomplish Watari? You, alone, with a small defensive power, will conjure up the demon that has already killed 6 people and one that Meifu as a whole, has never seen. After, of course, trying several other demon summoning spells and calling them up!"

Watari gave a curt nod, wrapping his fingers around his wrist.

_I hate it when you yell at me, but this is a necessary evil. I'm sorry Tatsumi._

"Is there any possible reason why you have to, why you want to do this alone? Or is it because you don't trust me and you have an obvious suicide wish?"

The blond cringed, still not saying anything. 

_Of course I trust you! Just…right now I really do need you to talk to the Count. And when you go, I really need you to put a shadow on me. One that I know of._

"Is this why you died, Yutaka!?" spat Tatsumi, his voice becoming lower and lower.

_My name? My, this is getting a bit personal. _Whispered a small piece of his brain as another part flinched.

"Because you have the common sense of a dust bunny?!"

_Okay, that was un-called for. At least he's not yelling…in that high volume kind of way._

"This is why we are in pairs! Did it even occur to you that it might kill you, completely? Shinigami do die you know, I've seen them die, slowly and messily by demons they can only take down in PAIRS!! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?! WERE YOU THINKING?"

A knock came from the door, sounding rather pitiful and weak after Tatsumi's comments.

'I'm thinking that I should answer the door right now.' Said Watari in a calm voice after clearing his throat. He walked past the silent and threatening glare that was focused on him and peered through the peephole, his hands unlocking the chain as he saw the person standing outside.

'I'm sorry, to disturb you, sirs, since you have the sign hanging up.' Said Chihiro, her eyes red and puffy. 'But I had to tell you that we won't be able to offer you that double bed anymore. There…' she drew in breath, her pupils dilated and focused on something far, far away. 'There was another incident, it happened this morning.'

She let out a small, hiccupping sob, and when Watari placed his hand on her shoulder, she buried her face into his shoulder, her arms wrapping around his chest.

"Come on, let's go sit on the bed." Whispered Watari, throwing a confused look over to Tatsumi.

_We're sorry, the Watari-Bashing show will not be continuing today. Instead, please stay tuned for the exciting new drama, Crying Girl._

He led her to the bed, accepting the cup of tea from Tatsumi with a smile and pressing it into Chichiro's hands.

"I'm sorry.' She cried, 'I'm so sorry that I'm bothering you. I can leave. . . "

"No, it's okay. My partner and I were just discussing something stupid." Answered Tatsumi, shutting the door and locking it. He picked the chair up from the carpet and, once again, sat in it. "What happened?"

"She was my friend from elementary school." Whispered the distraught hotel worker, eyes tearing.

"Always there for me. We both start our names with Chi and she was the only other one there like that. She was nice to me, a new strange girl that has just moved here. She didn't have to be. She could have been jealous that she was no longer the only Chi- person there. We stayed best friends in junior high, and we both studied very hard to get into the same high school. I was so happy for her when she found a boyfriend at that high school too, but after they dated for a while he became a little…scary."

"What do you mean by scary?" asked Watari, rubbing her back.

"Scary. Possessive. Intimidating. He didn't like Chie to hang out with her old friends, including me." She let out a little choked laugh.

"And especially any of her friends that were boys. They only got married a month ago, but she called me one day and told me that sometimes he would scream at her when he came home from work. Calling her names like slut and whore."

"Why didn't she leave this guy if he was that bad?" asked Watari, confusion leaving frown marks on his face. "No one should have to deal with that."

"Probably because she loved him deeply." Interjected Tatsumi, handing some tissues to Chihiro. "She kept thinking that he would change, that she could get him to trust her and that everything would be like the start of their dates again, but even better since they were married."

_And how are you an expert on this Tatsumi? Somehow I don't think that you were like that, nor can I see you dating anyone like that either._

The girl nodded, mascara marking her face and neck. "That's exactly what she told me. And she said it was working too. . . but this morning. . . this morning. . . " She sobbed loudly, hugging her body as she began to rock on the bed.

"He killed her! He took the kitchen knife from the house present I bought them and killed her! Even after he took her to the park for a picnic yesterday!''

"Which park?'" asked Tatsumi and Watari, in a perfect twin chorus, sharing a quick look.

"The same park where that girl died." sniffed Chihiro. "And to think that I felt bad for him since he chose the park. I want him to die!" She suddenly shouted, the next sentence so low that only Watari could hear it. 'And…I want my friend back.'

_Well, you might get half of that wish._ Thought Watari grimly, hugging her. _Okay, change of plans for me, big time. Chihiro's friends should be able to give me the information I need to cut down that possible demon list._

"Tatsumi, you need to go do that research." Mentioned Watari, Chihiro's tears making his damp shirt stick to his skin. "I will be here all day if you need to contact me."

Watari looked over at his partner, who was currently raising an eyebrow and mouthing what looked like the word really. The blonde smiled and nodded.

"I promise." _And you know I am promising more than just to pick up the phone. "_You can call me at any time. And we'll have tofu or something for dinner."

Tatsumi took one last look at his partner and the crying girl in his arms, then left, shutting the door behind him.

_Kuroi. __Appear._ A small shadow flickered into sight, not really forming into a shape but into a chaotically moving sphere.

_Hmm…so they do retain knowledge of previous engagements. I should remember to tell Watari…after I finish shouting some sense into him._

_Kuroi, __please keep an eye on Watari.__ Follow him.__ Report to me immediately if he leaves this hotel._

The form shifted into a small fly shape, dipped its head down, then silently slipped under the door. Tatsumi felt slightly better as he disappeared into Meifu. Watari was right to bribe him with tofu. . . convincing the Earl was going to be tough.

_I wonder_. Thought Tatsumi. _Which will be harder? Convincing the Earl or dealing with Chihiro?_


	5. Hikariko

**Shinma**

**Chapter 5: A Small Light **

By: JeNya

Yami no Matsuei belongs to Matshushita Yoko, I only borrow them to play with.

* * *

Matsumoto Inn

* * *

Watari sighed as he let Chihiro out of the room, watching as the young woman walked _staggered, really_ down the hallway and back to the hotel's front desk downstairs.

"I hope she doesn't get into trouble with her boss." Murmured Watari, turning around and making his way toward the stack of books and notes on the small table. Settling himself into the chair, he fanned out bunches of notes and began to look through them again. Or at least try to.

_I wonder if anyone cried for me the same way that Chihiro is crying for her friend? _He wondered, capturing a few strands of hair and tucking them behind his ear. _And I have to admit, I really didn't handle that well at all. Bon and Tsuzuki I can deal with, usually Tatsumi too, but give me a crying twenty-something year old still alive female and I just don't know how to comfort her. And it's not like I can even tell her that we're going to kill the creature that has started this, either. _

He picked up notes on possessive ghosts and studied them, finding a pencil under all the clutter and making a few more notes in the margins of the other notes.

_For all that I consider them friends, I really wouldn't expect them to be like her. Then again, in our line of work, I guess we're sort of used to dealing with death. Tsuzuki would cry, I don't doubt that. Bon would be angry that I left them, but would shut it off in one of his many closets. And Tatsumi. . . he would be upset that he would need to train another Shinigami. On the up side though my lab would stop exploding, so the budget would be a bit more in the black. _

"Geez Yutaka!" He groaned out loud, his hand dropping the papers and running through his hair. "Getting a little too morbid, aren't we? You know that Tatsumi would be more upset than that if you died." _I think. I did piss him off pretty well this morning. And for no good reason at this point. _

He sat like that for several minutes, then suddenly jumped up and kicked at the cot in the corner.

"Why do I care so much about all of this now?" He grumbled as he walked into the bathroom, not noticing the extra inch of shadow hanging by the doorway. "I need a shower and some food."

* * *

Somewhere in Meifu

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­

* * *

Tatsumi mentally groaned as he stood in front of the Earl, waiting for the verdict. Watson had shown him in around noon, after he had completed the first part, but filling out the next stage of the paperwork had taken at least another hour.

"Tatsumi Seiichro, I will allow you to talk to Kuwabara Yuki, but you can not talk to Suzuki Keisuke."

"May I ask why not?" Tatsumi pushed his glasses up, his eyes never leaving the Earl's mask. "The boy might have the information we need to finish this case early."

"Certainly. Suzuki Keisuke has been eluding the Shinigami assigned to his sector. I can allow you to speak to him, but simply put, if he is not here, then you can't talk to him. The girl though, arrived immediately after, and I would be as. . . happy. . . as you to end this case with the minimal of candles snuffed."

"And Shinigami hurt."

"Yes, of course. That as well." Added the Earl, his mask bobbing respectfully to the secretary. "Watson will show you to one of my rooms where you can meet Kuwabara-chan."

"Chan?" echoed Tatsumi, slightly surprised. _Since when did he like girls?_

"Certainly." Chuckled the Earl, turning his head and clicking his fingers to summon Watson. "After all, when you're my age, most of the girls are called chans."

"Thank you very much." Stated Tatsumi as Watson appeared at his elbow.

"No thanks are needed for doing a job, Tatsumi. Unless Tsuzuki would be able to give thanks in your stead? Those I would gladly accept."

_I wondered when you were going to mention my co-worker._ The secretary thought, controlling the urge to smirk.

"No, it would only be mine and Watari's. But again, we say thank you."

"Only say that if you do get the information you need." The mask turned back to him and Tatsumi could feel invisible eyes staring at him.

"And as this is the only time that I can allow it, according to our contract with Enma-sama, then I really do hope you get what you need."

The shower had been great, just fifteen minutes of letting the hot water cascade against his chest, the steam carrying away what seemed to be more stress than he thought he should have. Wearing a light orange vest on top of his normal black turtleneck and putting on a pair of black pants, Watari whistled as he shut the door and walked down the hallway to the elevator, a speck of shadow trailing him from near the ceiling.

At the lobby, he looked around for Chihiro, but couldn't find her. _Good, maybe she got the day off to deal with her friend's death._ _Or maybe she took paid leave._Watari shook his head. As much as he loved Japan, a lot of companies gave three days of leave for a parent's death, two days for lesser family member and absolutely zero for a friend or boyfriend. _It's what works in the country that coined the phrase, "worked to death" and can actually put it on a death certificate as the __cause__ of death. Most places don't even give out sick days these days, and especially so if you work for the government. (1)_

Watari strode over to the doors and the dot of darkness somehow split in twain, one part vanishing and the other one attaching to the scientist as he held up his hand for a taxi.

* * *

"One second Watson." Said Tatsumi, pausing before his hand turned the doorknob. "I need to do something."

The servant gave him a look, nodding.

_Kuroi. Report._

_The man has left the hotel._

_I'm going to __kill__ him. _Was Tatsumi's first thought. _He had better not be planning on going through with whatever cockamamie plan he concocted earlier. _

_Where is he now?_

_He is in a taxi that is taking him to an Italian restaurant. _

_Oh. . . so he's going out for food. That's okay then, I won't need to maim him for doing something stupid. _

_And the name of the restaurant is?  
_

_Jun's._

_Thank you. Go back and continue to watch him. Report if he leaves the restaurant._

The shadow left and Tatsumi opened the door, Watson leaving, continuing down the corridor.

"Kuwabara Yuki?" Questioned Tatsumi, aiming it to the transparent girl sitting in the center of the room.

"Yeah. That was me."

"You seem to be taking your death rather well." Admitted Tatsumi in surprise.

_Strange. Most souls, unless they were sick and dying in life, don't believe that they're dead so quickly. It usually takes them at least two weeks to start saying was, at any rate._

"I was in hell during life. . ." she laughed. "Being dead is pleasant in comparison."

Tatsumi let out a cough. _Right. . . try being a Shinigami._ _Rest? What's rest?_

"Ah, right. I have some questions that I need to ask you."

"Is it about the cave monster?" She said, brown eyes lifting to stare at him. "We really didn't think that it would work. And, I'm sorry that it did."

"How did you summon him?"

"I don't remember. We used a book for most of the details, but then some of the boys added some stuff they found on the internet."

'_Stuff we found on the internet'. Great._

"What do you remember then?"

"We were supposed to call it with blood, sacrifice, anger and by its name. Then it would appear and help us get revenge."

"Name?" Questioned Tatsumi sharply. "What was it?"

"I don't know!" She snapped at him, hearing the sharpened tone. "I never knew the full name."

_Bullshit._

"You must have." Said Tatsumi, pushing his glasses up his nose. "What is it?"

"I already told you, I don't know!"

"Then how could you and your friends successfully call him, if you didn't know its full name?"

"Each of us said only a part of the name, at a specific time so that some of the parts overlapped."

_Wonderful. So the __one__ person that I can question was __not__ the person who had the complete name before it was divvied up. Absolutely wonderful._

"Then what was your part?"

"Sha. And before you ask, no, I don't know the reading."

_Victim? Or just person? I wish I knew the kanji. _

"That's it? When did you say it?"

"Yeah, it was just Sha. Mine was the last one and I said it when the last whispers of the echoes before were fading."

Do you know what happened to Suzuki Keisuke?"

"He died. Right before it took over my body. He was thrown into the wall."

"Did he speak with it?"

"It spoke with him. When it first came, when we were in the cave. . . it took over Shinichi's body. He and Keisuke had been friends since kindergarten, so Keisuke was angry that Shin was being used, like a puppet. It told him that he and I had the. . . anger and. . . sadness that it needed, but that since he had always helped Shin, and that because he wasn't afraid to face the monster, it said it would kill him and use me."

"You're sure about the anger and sadness? It said it needed it?"

"Yes. It also said that we really hadn't helped it, that it would have broken free pretty soon anyhow."

"How did it take over your body?"

"I don't know. He was there one minute and then gone the next and it felt weird. I was able to see and hear, but I couldn't feel anything until the wind was rushing against my head and then I hit something hard. After that, a Shinigami told me that I was dead and that I needed to come with him. The end."

"No." snapped Tatsumi, fiddling again with his glasses. "It's not the end, it's not over. You and your friends have released something that is feeding on the townspeople, something that my partner and I need to stop."

"As I said." Replied Kuwabara softly, after a few seconds of silence, "I am sorry that we released it."

"So that's it? That's all you remember? A fraction of a true name, the fact that it needs anger and sadness in a person, and that it somehow, impossibly, has a code of honor?"

A nod, and then Tatsumi sighed, feeling the beginnings of a headache touching his temples.

"Thank you then. I hope you enjoy your afterlife."

He turned to go and she held out an arm.

"I have a question for you," she said. "If you don't mind, that is."

"What?"

"Why did you become a Shinigami? Why didn't you 'enjoy your afterlife', as you told me to?"

Time passed as Tatsumi stared through her, looking back at a taller woman, one wearing an elegant kimono, her hair held up with a golden comb to show off her graceful neckline.

"I promised to protect." He whispered, bringing up his hand to his head. In mere seconds, that sneaking suspicion of a headache had brandished a knife and plunged it deeply into his brain.

* * *

Jun's Italian Restaurant

* * *

The background noise was a blend of chatter, rattling dishes, toasting wine glasses and soft Japanese pop music piped in from the speakers in the ceiling. In one of the corners, sitting at a table covered with a red-checkered cloth, sat Watari, one hand propping up his head while the other dragged a fork through the spaghetti before him.

"Morbid, whistling, and then sinking into pessimism within the space of what. . . .twenty minutes?" Muttered the scientist, pushing a meatball around the sloped plate. "Did I go through mood swings when I was alive, too?

The meatball didn't answer, so it was pushed into the deep end of a red pool and left to drown in spices, herbs and the blood of murdered tomatoes.

"Drowned in the blood of others, yet you yourself have not sullied a blade with thick life, leaving it to rust and grow in the sunlight, where such death should be rightfully shunned."

"You should have been a poet instead of a scientist, Watari. The imagery of that was majestic." Came a smooth voice from in front of him, someone who was hidden by strands of fallen gold.

"Tatsumi?" gasped Watari, lifting his head to see his partner standing in front of him, a slight smile on his face.

"What was that all about though?" Came the question as the brunette slid into the booth, forcing the blonde to scoot a little to the left. "That was an original Watari Yutaka poem, was it not? I didn't recognize it otherwise."

"Um. . . yeah, I made it up a while back." Admitted Watari, his hand reaching back to snag the plate and bring it closer to him.

_About the time when I was just learning the ropes of being a reaper._

"The person drowned in the blood of others is a Shinigami, collecting the souls of those who shouldn't have died yet. Even though we take the sprits, we are not the ones who've killed others, bladed or not, and left their blood, their thick life smeared on it. The rust growing is the fact that such things are happening more frequently, and in an innocent world, where it shouldn't be happening in the first place."

_Okaaaayyyy. . . while that sounded nice, I really wasn't expecting it to be so. . . in depth. Or to be so sad. Watari, you have a lot of layers . . . and I don't like that you're keeping most of them hidden from your friends._

"So, since you're the Italian food expert," said Tatsumi, picking up the menu and handing to his co-worker, "you get to order for me. I would like something a little salty, but nothing really sweet."

"Sure." Watari pushed the button that was set on the table, a loud bonging sound being heard near the kitchen. A waitress came out, looked up at the number board to see which tale had ordered, then came over to them, holding her electronic pda.

"I would like a calzone with extra spices inside, extra sauce on the side, and some sprinkled Gouda cheese on top please. And an extra drink bar please."

The woman punched the numbered meal, and then added the adjustments.

"Would that be all?" She asked politely, eyeing the two men in front of her, her polished finger poised over the device.

"For now, thank you." Watari looked back at Tatsumi as she walked back towards the kitchen, leaving the check in a small cup. "It's not spaghetti, but I think that you'll like it, all the same. Tell me, did you get any good information from the two kids?"

The secretary sighed at the question, setting his glasses down on the table.

"Let me get something to drink and then I'll tell you how it went." Groaned Tatsumi, getting up. "Which way is the drink bar?"

_Crap. It doesn't look like the meeting went well. I hope that he got some information that I can use._

"Left, opposite from the toilet."

"Thanks."

Watari watched as Tatsumi slowly walked to the drink bar, scooping some wild berry tea herbs into a tea strainer, then filling the teapot with hot water. While the water was pouring, he began to rub at one of his temples.

_Looks like it gave him a headache too. . . ah, I know! _

Watari rummaged in his pockets, producing a slender red capped vial filled with what looked like a clear gel. Checking that Tatsumi wasn't watching, he shook some onto his fingertips, and then proceeded to cover every non-glass surface on the abandoned glasses.

_That should help him a bit. At least until it can go away on its own._

He capped the vial and slipped into back into his pocket, pulling out a small pad of paper and a pencil as Tatsumi was coming back to the table.

"I believe you asked about the meeting?" questioned Tatsumi, setting his cup and teapot down, settling into his side of the booth. "I could only talk to Kuwabara. The boy has apparently eluded capture and is still down here somewhere."

"Did she say anything that would help us? Anything useful?"

"A few things," sighed the secretary, rubbing both of his temples. "The last part of the monster's name is Sha, but she didn't know the kanji. It told them that it didn't need their help, that it was going to break free on its own. And that it needs anger and sadness." Tatsumi looked over at Watari's stunned face and shrugged his shoulders, holding out his hands.

"That's it. And the Earl said that this was the one time we could call a soul in for questioning, too."

The waitress came back, holding a steaming plate.

"Here you go, but be careful, it's really hot." She looked at the two men. "If you need anything else, just press the button."

"Thank you," said Tatsumi, picking up his glasses and putting them back on his face. Watari made a face, stabbing at his meatball.

"I'm sure you didn't get to do much research, but did you find anything?"

"I _thought _I had found some demons like the one we're tracking, but if part of it's name is Sha, then no, they're all a dead end. On the other hand, I haven't been able to go and get notes on Chihiro's death."

"I know, I've had a shadow watching you." Admitted Tatsumi, sniffing the wonderful aroma from his plate.

_Hmm. . . I think the jackhammers in my head have receded slightly. Thank Enma._

"And," he continued, taking a moment to sip at his water, "I want to ask you about earlier. Do you want to tell me what you were trying to do?"

"Um. . . not really." Was the sheepish response from his companion. Watari gave a slight smile, shoving the last meatball into his mouth. He made a few mumbling noises, pointed to his full mouth, and proceeded to chew the meatball like it was the chewiest piece of squid he had ever eaten.

Tatsumi stared at him, then laughed.

"Fine Watari, I'll let you go this time. _Why am I not reaming him out? I should be as upset as I was earlier, right? And what happens if he tries to pull this again?_ But, I want your word that you won't try it again, and that you'll tell me about your plan at the end of this mission, if not before, okay?"

The blonde nodded, and with another smile, Tatsumi tucked into his spicy calzone, so hungry that he was inhaling it rapidly. Watari watched him, his golden eyes never leaving as he took a drink of green tea.

_I wonder if his headache's gone?_ He thought, trying to see if his partner was still in pain. _And I'm surprised that he laughed at my evasiveness. Is that gel maybe doing more than easing his headache? I wish I could ask him about it so that I could take some notes but I don't want to push any more of his buttons today. And besides, if the gel is firing up some endorphins, he can stand to laugh a little more._

"Have I grown a third head?" asked a voice, breaking into the scientist's wanderings. "Or maybe a pair of horns?"

"No!" Watari stuttered, spitting a little bit of tea onto the table. "I was just lost in thought. . ."

"More of your poems then?" teased Tatsumi, the last bit of lunch hanging onto his fork as it waved in the air. He bit into it, still looking at Watari. "Hopefully, some happier ones."

"No, not poems." Said Watari, reaching for his wallet and pulling out 3,000 yen. "If you're ready then, Tatsumi?"

"Sure. Are we going back to the hotel or are we checking out the third incident?"

Watari thought for a moment.

"Actually, I'd like to go to back to the hotel. I think I saw a demon in my notes that had Sha in its name." _Also, I'm wondering how that gel is affecting you. Are you relaxed because you're relaxed or because I drugged you?_

"Back to the hotel then." Said Tatsumi, standing up and grabbing the check from the table. "And don't worry about lunch, I'll pay for it."

_Oh Enma! I've drugged him! _

* * *

Whew! Finally, back from vacation and school is starting up again. As always, please review, tell me what you liked **and** what you didn't like, that will help me out. Thanks!

(1) Just a small note about the subject of work days, paid leave and grieving times. At my job, what I have written is true. My job does not give out sick days and if a friend dies there are no grieving days to be taken. However, this is my job. I don't know about any others, so please do not review or mail me complaining that I'm wrong or that I'm giving a bad view of Japan. And yes, in Japan, the cause of death can be written down as overwork.


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